Wheel alignment testing device



Jan. 15, 1935. H. E. MUSSELMAN WHEEL ALIGNMENT TESTING DEVICE 2Sheets-Shet- 1 Filed March 9, 1951 .O. m. w T N umm r E O W w l. A E

1935. H. EQMU SSELMAN WHEEL ALIGNMENT TESTING DEVICE Filed March 9, 19312 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fienrg E. flLifgclmarl 7 7 A-r'fQRNiZ SPatented Jan. 15, 1935 HemyE. Musselman, Kalamazoo, ltlichi, assignortog Atlas Press'Company, Kalamazoo, s; e Application March 9, 1931',Serial No. 521,204! 1 f-"T he main object of :this invention is'*-toprovideija wheelfalignment'testing device for motor vehicles which"permits rapid and easy deter mination ofithe alignmentoi thewheels ofmotor vehicles. Y

Objects relating to details and ecnomies' of my invention will appearfrom the description tc'rfollovv. he invention isfdefined and'pointe'dout in the claims. j -A""struct1 1re which "is a preferred embodiment ofmy -'inve ntion-is illustrated in the accompany'ing drawings, in which?1 Fig. l'is a perspective view of my improved wheel alignmenttestingmachine or apparatus.

Fig. 2'-is a fragmentary view mainly invertica'l transverse section-on aline corresponding tQ"'1ine'-2-'-2 of "F181." 1f Fig: 3 isf afragmentary viewpartially insectibiaon line 33"Of FigS,4 and-5i 7"'-Fig.=4is a fragmentary view-sectioned-on line 44 of Figs. 1, 3 and 5.

' "Figfb isa' fragmentary view partially in sectioncrl'line 5'5 of Fig.4. 3

Fig. 6is adiagram'ni'altic view showing the relationof the-'control"switch with the signal or indicatorapparatus T 1 In theembodiment of my invention illustrated, I "provide-a plat'form 1 uponwhich at least the front wheelsof' a motor vehicle'may be driven. Thisplatform has spaced Openings'Z' thereinfin which the w'heel supportingo'r-"tread plates 3 are mountedfor lateral floating movement; theseplates being supported by the 21011815 4; and held yieldingly in acentral position by means of coiled sprin'gsb; These parts aresubstantially the same as in my copending application for LettersPatent, Serial #519,302, filed Mar. 2, 1931, for Wheel alignment testingdevices.

With the parts thusarranged the plates are yieldingly held in a centralneutral position but are free to float laterally in either directionunder the action of vehicle wheels driven thereon which may be out ofalignment, the wheels out of alignment tending to cause friction betweenthe wheels driven over theplate and the plate thereby moving or shiftingthe plate laterally, the plate being preferably roughened as indicatedto increase this friction.

Each plate has a rack bar 6 connected thereto,

the rack bars projecting into a housing 7 mounted between the treadplates.

in the embodiment illustrated, I provide a pedestal 8 at one side of theplatform having a housing 9 at its upper end for an indicator meanswhich, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises two duplicate sets "ofiamps designated generally by the-numeral 10 and arranged inopposedzr-elationn ,-i,--- z s s 'These -1amps preferably havegaugingindicia associated therewith} this being in the ifractions of theinch, the first 1amp0f-feach set having indic'ia, pf an inch', thesecondm g', the'third andso on, the indicia 37 64; and' so on beingpositioned intermediate the lamps.

The lamp's are preferably colored as indicated, the outer lamps beingindicated bythe -1etter W which indicates;uncolored or white. 1'Q-"Other' forms of elec 'rically actuated signals might be employed fostance, an annunciator orindicat'or.-'-"- Iri'this embodimenti11{isi'llfatcd; the signal '01 indicator-apparatuslias the word-fin atone end mam-ates whether the out o: alignment of the wheels tested is ininw rdoroutward;ti'irection Y. 1 The indicatororsignal apparatus iscontrolled through a 'switch; 'm';ean's comprising" a contactmember'jlfi which :has two sets of contacts desighated generally-bythe--numeral""13 mounted thereon in segmental opposed relation relativeto aceritral'orneutral point 14; These contactsare of graduated lengths,'the length increasing'jirem the ne'1it-ral point outward. The sets oreontacts' are-connected to the s'etso'fsignals' bythesets of' wiresindicated at 15." 7

Theswitch member-16 is also pivotally'mounted on an axis coinciding}with the axis of the contact memberll; thecontact'memberhaving a pinion*1 7* secured to 1 it's**hub 1 while the switch member 16 has a pinion18 secured to its hub, one of the racks 6 coacting with one of thepinions and the other with the other pinion, so that both,

the contact member and the switch are free to swing in either directionfrom the neutral point under the action of the tread plates, bothmembers being free to swing in the same direction 7 when the treadplates are actuated in the same direction as might occur if a motorvehicle were driven onto the tread plates at an angle, thereby by whatmight be designated as difierential :in the movement.

By providing independently movable plates one connected to the switchmember which is movable independently of the contact member and the:

other to the contact member which is movable independently of the switchmembenit is possible by determining difierential movement of the platesthrough determining differential move ment between the switch member andthe contact member to determine the angle between the wheels that rollover the plate. The tread plates are mounted for movement to or awayfrom one another only and as a car passes over these plates movingsubstantially'normal to the direction in which the platescanbe moved,.the apparatus records the angle between the wheels. As each front wheelof the car rolls over its respective plate, it imparts a force to thatplate causing the plate to move outwardly it the wheels toe in'orinwardly if they toe out. I

With this arrangement of parts, it may be quickly determined whether ornot wheels are out, of alignment and if so, the degree.

I have illustrated and described my improve-' ments in an embodimentwhich I have found very practical. I have not attempted to illustratecertain other embodiments or adaptations particularlyin thematteroftheindicator or annunciator and the control unit therefor as it isbelievedthat thisdisclosure willenable those skilled in the art;- toembody oradapt my improvements as may be desired; l v

Having thus described my ;invention, what I claim as newanddesire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

- ,1.'-In an apparatusiotlv the class described, the

combination of tread 1 plates, means supporting said plates for;-independent movement in a straight line to; and-. from each other inthe same plane,, means acting toyieldinglyhold said tread plates in aneutral position, sets or signalelements, a switch contact member and aswitch associated therewith mounted for movement independently ofeach-other, said switch contact memberhaving sets of contacts mountedthereon,

- corresponding contacts of the sets being electri- 40 cally connectedto corresponding signal elements, said switch being operativelyassociated with said contacts, an operating connection for said switchmemberto one of said tread plates, and an operating connection i'or saidswitchlto the other tread plate.

2. In'- an apparatus of the class described, the combination of: treadplates, means Supporting said treadplates for independent movementin a astraight lineto and from each other in the same plane, means acting toyieldingly support said tread ,platesin initial position, an indicatormeans,.a pl urality ofcontacts mounted for simul taneous movement ineither direction from a neutrai. point andoperatively associated withsaid indicator means, and a coacting switch memberv movable in eitherdirection from a neutral position, and connecting means connecting saidcontacts to one tread plate for movement therewith and said switchmember to the other tread plate for movement therewith, said connectingmeans being such that the contacts and switch member are both in neutralposition when the tread plates are in their initial position. l l

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combinationoftreadplates, means supporting said tread plates for independent movementin astraight-lineto and from each other in the same plane, an indicatormeans, a control means therefor comprising a movably mounted switch"element provided with a plurality of contacts operativelyflassociatedwith said indicator means. and a. coacting movable switch member,connectingmeans from said contact member to one of said tread platesandconnecting means, from said switch member to theother of said treadplates, said connecting means being such that the switch and contactmembers are both in neutral 7 position when the tread platesare in theirneutral r position.

4. In an apparatus of the class described; the combination of treadplates, .means supporting said plates for independent movement astraight line to and fromeach other in the same plane, means acting toyieldinglyhold said tread plates in a neutral position, operativelyassociated cooperating indicatorelements mountedfor movementindependently of eachother, an operating connection for one indicatorelement to one of said tread plates, and, an operating connection foranother of said indicatorelements to the other treadplate whereby; saidindicator elements are moved relatively to each other proportionately tothe relative movement of said plates to and away from each other. I 1

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combinationof treadplates, meanssupporting said platesvfor independent movement in astraight line to and from'each other in the same plane,operativelyassociated cooperating indicator elements mounted formovement independently of each other, an operating connection for oneindicator element to one of said tread plates, and an operatingconnection for another of said indicator elements to the other treadplate where? by said indicator elements'are movedrelatively to eachother proportionately to the relative movement of said plates to andaway from each other. HENRY- E. MUSSELMAN.

